Distributor gears and their matching counterpart of matching gears on the VW
/ Vanagon engine are slant cut gears.
This type of gear can cause the distributor to jump up or pull down into the
drive port as the engine is accelerated or decellerated.
The spring helps the distributor drive shaft in the distributor to remain at
the top of it's travel and pushes the actual gear drive down onto the thrust
washer keeping contact of the gear against the mating crank shaft gear.
In short it keeps your engine from surging and keeps the drive components in
what VW considers the ideal location for proper function and long life.
In other words you need it.
Yes .......... your engine will run without it.
This little spring is a $16.00 part from VW but you can make your own by
turning a piece of thin piano wire around a 16 penny nail until you get the
right length and tension to support the variable thrust of the drive gear
assembly.

Stan Wilder
www.engineceramics.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Farrugia" <jfarrugi@UMICH.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 7:20 AM
Subject: distributor spring

> so i just changed out a distributor in 1.9 a few days ago.  then yesterday
> i noticed a small spring sitting in the drive tang of the engine that the
> distributor came out of.  what is the purpose of this spring and what are
> the possible effects of running without it?  inquiring minds want to know
> :).
>
> jonathan